JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—Quarterback Chad Henne apparently showed enough in his 354-yard passing performance Sunday against the Houston Texans that Jacksonville Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey elevated him to the starting job, sending Blaine Gabbert to the bench or a possible deactivation for this week’s home game against the Tennessee Titans.

Gabbert was forced to the sideline early against the Texans with swelling in his forearm, near his throwing elbow. Mularkey says Gabbert is having issues with gripping the ball, which made the decision to give Henne his first start with the Jaguars easier.

Chad Henne will start at quarterback for the Jaguars on Sunday after his breakout performance in relief of the injured Blaine Gabbert. (AP Photo)

Mularkey never referred to the quarterback change as a benching, but he did say that Henne would be the starter even if Gabbert were completely healthy. That’s a clear indication that the 1-9 Jaguars are prepared to stick with Henne the rest of this season if he continues to perform well, which means Gabbert’s future in Jacksonville has hit its first major speed bump.

Henne was 13-18 as a starter for the Miami Dolphins before the Jaguars signed him as a free agent last offseason. He aided his cause tremendously by helping first-round draft pick Justin Blackmon to have a breakout game (seven catches, 236 yards), often hitting him in stride so the rookie could accumulate more than half his yardage after the catch.

If the Jaguars feel Gabbert hasn’t made enough progress with his injury this week, then they could deactivate him for the Titans game and elevate John Parker Wilson from the practice squad to be the backup.